We hiked today 5/23/18- the trail was fully covered in snow past Nymph lake. Not too difficult coming up, but really hard coming back. I was wearing tennis shoes and had no grip at all, others had hiking shoes and did okay. Good shoes and spikes would have really helped. Took us 3 hours up with lots of stops, and 1 hour back down with almost no breaks. A little bit crowded but still enjoyable. The lakes were absolutely gorgeous.

It was difficult to find the trail with all the snow and not much traffic but once I found it it was well worth it. I did it in just hiking boots without spikes and was fine and saw a girl with tennis shoes do it without any issues. I would definitely recommend this trail.

Hiked 5/20/2018. Wore only hiking boots, no extra equipment. The trail is pretty much snow covered past nymph lake and quite slippery especially on the descent back from Emerald. That being said, we made it in only hiking boots and did not struggle all that much. My group and I are flatlanders and made it to Emerald and back in about 4 hours with many stops for pictures and a lunch at Emerald etc.

So Im a big guy, not in great shape at all. My wife and I took our 11 yr old son and 9 yr old daughter up today on 5/20. Daughter didnt have good footwear so she slid the most. We all took a turn on our backside though. And Im sure it was a sight seeing me slide on my rear end about 10 yards down! lol. Wishing we had spikes and poles for the way down. It was a big accomplishment for us Texas low-landers and worth it for sure! Beautiful awe inspiring views and just enough treacherous adventure to be worthy of a high-five at the end!

Definitely worth the extra mile or so from dream lake! There is still quite a bit of snow, but we were fine in hiking boots. Wouldn't recommend running shoes - we were slipping in hiking boots once the snow started to melt during the day. Make sure you bring sunscreen! 5/17

Amazing views. We went when it was raining/snowing but still had a great time! The trail is still snow packed and on the way back it is very slippery ! It was so worth the trek though to the final emerald lake :)

Attempted to hike Sky Pond yesterday and ended up only making it to The Loch due to some treacherous snow accumulation and stormy precipitation. Hiking poles and spikes would be essential to your cause. Though we couldn’t make it past The Loch, it was still a mesmerizing hike with countless whoa moments. Shout out to anyone who made it up there recently, you’re intense!

Nice series of 3 lakes (Dream was our favorite). Did 5/11 with poles and microspikes which we were very happy to have. We're from sea level in reasonable-ish shape and found this hike very doable but tiring between altitude and snow. Lots of people in tennis shoes and they were sliding all over the place but they made it. Lakes were mostly frozen over which detracted some from the beauty for us (judging by how enthralled we were by Mill's lake the next day which was almost all melted) but lots of people really enjoyed them. We wanted to do the loop over to Mill's that day but trail from dream didn't seem as hard packed. We didn't explore much but that would have been a good trip.

Absolutely amazing. You get to see two other beautiful lakes and views on the way. It makes the hike less intense. The view from Emerald Lake is incredible. There is still some snow on the trail, and coming down is an adventure, but it is so worth it. I was wearing my hiking boots and it was fine. People were also managing it in tennis shoes (not recommended but doable if it is all you got). It was so beautiful. One of the best hikes I have ever done.

Still snow packed (05/17/2018) 3/4 of the way. Did in hiking boots with no problem and saw plenty of people with just tennis shoes. Hard to follow exact trail but all footprints lead in similar direction. Emerald lake is beautiful.

Hiked the Emerald Lake trail 5/16/2018. This is the perfect moderate/beginner hike with spectacular views at three lakes. 3/4 of the trail was still snow/ice. Crampons made the going much easier but it can be done without. Lakes still mostly frozen. I started my hike about 9:45AM and there were only a few people and the parking area was mostly empty. By the time I started my descent there was a steady stream of people going up and at 1:30 the lot was packed with cars waiting for others to leave. All in all this was a wonderful hike; my first in Rocky Mountain National Park. I gave it 5 stars because I have no point of reference. There may be better hikes in RMNP but this was a great start to what I hope will be many more.

I loved this trail! So clean and the views are amazing! We went in the morning around 8:30 and there was barely anyone on the trail the whole way up, but on the way down we ran into a lot more hikers. The lake is so peaceful and there are lots of places to explore at the top. Even though it is considered in Rocky Mountain National Park, you don’t need a pass. Large parking lot and bathroom at the base, as well as a toilet towards the top of the hike which I thought was a little strange, but maybe convenient for some.

Tried Sky Pond trail on the way to Utah. Slippery but doable with trekking poles and micro spike to Loch. Snowshoes or X Ski is a must beyond the Loch. Scrambling to the top of Glass lake but unable to go further to Sky Pond because 10 feet of deep snow by the lakes.

Great trail! I hiked to the sky pond on the 05/10 and there was still a lot of snow. Therefore the trail is not very clear and more challenging. The yaktrax were very useful for the snow part (2/3 of the trail) snowshoe would have been better. We sank down in the snow knees dip several times and had our feet wet for most of the hike but the weather was so nice and warm that it didn’t bother us. Amazing view of the Loch, the lake of Glass and the Sky pond. Be prepare for the snow and for a pretty steep trail but definitely worth it!